The 18th Century Weighs In

Given all the recent scientific revelations on the positive health effects of chocolate, it seemed prudent to revisit the Age of Reason to see what folks then had to say on the subject. Whatever your view of chocolate's place in the Four Humours, it seems the vast majority of reviews were pretty good back then too:

Louis Lémery, Traité des Aliments, 1702:
"It's strengthening, restorative, and apt to repair decayed Strength, and make People strong: It helps Digestion, allays the sharp Humours that fall upon the Lungs...and resists the malignity of the Humours."

D. de Quelus, The Natural History of Chocolate, 1719:
"I have seen several persons who had but weak digestion, if not quite spoiled, who have been entirely recovered by the frequent use of chocolate."

Antonio Lavedan, Tratado de los Usos, Abusos, Propiedades y Virtudes del Tabaco, Cafe, Te, y Chocolate, 1796:
"Chocolate vivifies the substance of the heart, diminishes flatulence, takes away obstructions, helps the stomach, and awakens the appetite, which is a sign of health for those that drink it. It increases virility, slows the growth of white hair, and extends life until decrepitude. To people of any age, including the youngest, it can be given."

Take some and call us in the morning...